Light and Darkness
by 13Bishop
Summary: A tentative peace between B'elanna and Seven is tested when ship wide malfunctions begin to plague the ship.
1. Chapter 1

**So this is just something I'm putting out there. Not sure how often I may get to update it, but eventual B/7.**

Light travels across the dark vacuum, never stopping, never changing its speed. It is timeless, constant, but it knows how to bend. It can indicate distance, heat, and compositon. Moons need it to light up the night skies, plants need it to grow, and black holes seek out its very essence. Seven of Nine used it to create vast star charts to help Voyager find it's way home.

Her newest endeavor filled the large screen in front of her. Their current course would take them through a region of space filled with stellar and nebular phenomenon. The Captain would be pleased. While the priority was the Alpha Quadrant, exploration would always be a desire with this crew. Seven sighed and saved the information to a PADD, Captain Janeway would want to see it first thing, they were coming up on a large planetary nebula that would surely peek her interest.

It was late into the beta shift, and Seven finally logged off her console. Often she preferred working this late. It was rare she would be interrupted by other crew members, and she could come and go as she pleased. She gathered up the PADDs scattered over the console and headed toward the Mess Hall. Neelix would have long ago gone to bed, and she could consume her nutritional supplement in peace, and though she would never admit it, she enjoyed poking through whatever leftovers he left behind for the night owls on board.

B'elanna Torres stared at the warp core, watching the various blues flow up and down the long tube. She was just finishing up the reports for the next day's staff meeting, and had stopped on her way out of her office to observe the beta shift crew. They were all working at various consoles, eyes on the tasks in front of them, but she could tell she was also being observed. Beta shift was always anxious when she was around, not used to her presence. Lt. Carey was hovering nearby. "Relax Carey, I'm leaving."

She could see his shoulders relax, and grinned slightly. "Not at all Lieutenant. Is there anything you need?"

Torres almost laughed. "No Joe, I just had to finish up reports."

Carey stepped up to her. "Burning the midnight oil?"

"I couldn't sleep, and these reports are due in the morning. I think I'm going to stop by the messhall on the way back to my quarters. See what Neelix left laying around."

"Good luck with that." Carey smiled at her as she headed toward the door. "Good night Lieutenant."

"Night, Joe."

The mess hall was thankfully empty when she entered. The blonde dumped her PADDs on a table near the large windows and headed toward the galley. Neelix had left several "finger foods" out on the counter, and she examined them as she passed. A small grin passed her lips when she saw a plate of rashi lined up among the various dishes. Despite its unappealing brown color it held a flavor not that much different from carrots. Once Neelix had discovered that she actually liked them, he made sure to always have some on hand.

It was one of the few foods she could remember from her childhood, and Lt. Paris had made a remark that only Seven would like vegetables as a child. Surprisingly B'elanna Torres had come to her rescue. "Not every child was a brat when they were six, Tom."

She sighed again. It was best not to dwell on such thoughts. Seven was sure any thoughts and insights she had on the Chief Engineer would not be welcomed or appreciated. No matter how much she admired Torres the half-Klingon had made her feelings clear. Even if her feelings were..."Enough." Seven said to herself.

She put her plate down on the table and picked up one of the PADDs. It was a rough plan for an enhanced warp core. Not exactly slip stream or trans-warp, but it might be plausible to boost the power the engines exerted, with minimum energy usage. It was only a matter of getting B'elanna to listen without dismissing her outright. Perhaps one of the Doctor's social lessons would come in handy.

She sighed and set the PADD down on the table. A slight grimace passed her lips and she was glad she was alone. Seven pulled the chair next to her out and propped her feet up. While she would never show it around the crew the high heels that were part of her biosuit often caused her feet to ache. She popped a piece of rashi in her mouth and picked the PADD back up.

Her preliminary designs would have required a complete retooling of the core, something neither she nor anyone else on the ship would want to undertake. She had decided months ago that using the current systems, with modifications would make the engines work in almost the exact same way. It would still require several simulations and tests, but she believed it would work. The questions was, would anyone else agree?

The doors to the Mess Hall opened and Seven jerked herself upright, turning quickly to see who the midnight snacker was. Lieutenant Torres stopped in the doorway, then raised an eyebrow. "Seven. I thought I'd be the only one pulling an all nighter."

"I was just finishing some projects Lieutenant, I will be out of your way shortly." The half-borg picked up her plate and headed toward the recycler. She didn't want a conflict right now. She wasn't in the mood.

"It's all right, Seven. Just relax, I'm only here for a snack." Seven nodded and turned back to her PADD, but left her feet on the floor. She glanced back at the PADD in her hand, finding herself a little disconcerted. Since her incident with the Vinculum, Lieutenant Torres had been wary around her, which was understandable. Seven herself had been embarassed by her actions, yet they had made a few things clear about her feelings for the half-klingon. Feelings that she must never reveal. She knew those feelings weren't reciprocated, and would probably in fact be ridiculed.

"What's got you up so late tonight?" Seven was startled again and looked up to see B'elanna standing next to the table with a plate in her hand. She was appalled to feel herself blushing.

Quickly she answered, "I had scans that I needed to complete, since beta shift was short of personnel tonight I decided it would be an appropriate time."

B'elanna glanced at the PADD in her hand, but didn't mention it. She put her plate down on the table and sat in the chair across from her. "I didn't know Astrometrics was short tonight."

Seven sensed the question in the statement, and her ocular implant raised slightly. "Engisn Celes called in one hour before her shift. I agreed to cover for her. She claimed to not be feeling well."

B'elanna frowned. "That's not like her. I hope nothing's wrong."

"I believe she and Engisn Chapman have ended their relationship." Seven selected another piece of rashi from her plate and chewed it. She glanced up when Lieutenant Torres was silent. Surely she hadn't said anything wrong.

The Lieutenant was giving her a speculative look, "I didn't know you were aware of that, Seven."

"The relationship was obvious, Lieutenant. It was also obvious that they were an incompatible pair."

"What makes you say that?" B'elanna started poking at the food on her own plate as she asked.

"Ensign Chapman says he cares for Celes yet is not ready for a full commitment. Or this is what he confided to me. He was involved with a woman back in the Alpha Quadrant and is still in love with her. He feels it would be unfair to her."

B'elanna snapped her mouth shut after Seven's short speech. "He told you that?"

"Yes, while we were recalibrating the EPS manifolds. He claimed he knew I would listen and not pass judgement."

B'elanna nodded and looked back down at her plate. She hadn't realized Seven was that plugged in to ship's gossip, or that she was getting it directly from the horse's mouth. She also didn't realize the ex-drone would understand a topic such as love. After the Vinculum B'elanna was seeing a different side to Seven.

The Son of K'vok aside, she'd heard Seven's screams over her comm link with the doctor. It had sent chills through her spine and stabbing pains to her heart. She had dismissed it as concern for a crewmate, but now she wasn't so sure. Seeing the ex-drone sitting in the Mess Hall when she walked in, had sent an unexpected jolt through her body.

She looked at the PADDs Seven had scattered across the table and decided to be curious. "What's all this?"

Seven stiffened, then picked up the PADD closest to her. "They are plans for a possible enhancement to the warp drive. I...thought I would ask you to look at them when they were finished."

Translation, Seven was scared to ask her to look at them. B'elanna berated herself silently, then reached her hand out. "No time like the present Seven."

Almost reluctantly Seven handed the PADD over, B'elanna started to read them, immediately seeing that the ex-drone's calculations were possible with a few tweeks. It would take a few tests and simulations, but it was possible. She had no way of knowing her thoughts were in line with Seven's own.

"This looks good Seven. I have a few suggestions but I think this could go forward. After we speak to the Captain of course." B'elanna set the PADD down and went back to her plate.

Seven raised an eyebrow but decided not to voice her opinion. The Lieutenant had accepted the ideas without her usual sarcastic comments and for that she was thankful. "How are you feeling Seven? After the vinculum?"

The ex-drone looked shocked that anyone had asked. In fact except for the Doctor and the Captain they hadn't. "Occasionally there are headaches, but the Doctor assures me they will pass. Otherwise I am well Lieutenant."

"That's good Seven." The Klingon stood, picking up her plate. "I'm going to bed."

She paused after putting her plate back in the replicator. "I'll request a meeting with the Captain in the morning. Good night."

Seven watched her go. "Goodnight Lieutenant."

"This is impressive. Good work Seven." Captain Janeway set the PADD on her desk and smiled at the two women. "How long do you expect it to take?"

"We could have the initial upgrades online in a few weeks." B'elanna took a deep breath, "The final changes would need a space dock, but would only take a few days. Once the initial changes are made Captain we should see an immediate change in power systems and performance of the engine."

"I agree Captain. Efficiency would be increased by 15%, it may seem a small amount but it would be significant."

Janeway smiled and held up her hand. "Relax ladies. I agree with you. I want you to start as soon as possible." She stood, making her way around the desk. "Have the final schematics drawn up and on my desk in the morning."

The turbolift doors shut and started in motion Seven turned to the Lieutenant. "I can start on the power modifications while I finish my scans in Astrometrics."

They had a tenative peace going and Seven was loathe to do anything to upset it. She figured if she stayed out of the Lieutenant's way until the actual changes were made things may go more smoothly. "Actually Seven it might be easier..."

The ship rocked violently, and the intertial dampners failed sending them both crashing into the the turbolift walls. Above them the lights flickered out.


	2. Chapter 2

**I think I forgot disclaimers. Don't own 'em, just playing around. Here's the second chapter.. I hope you enjoy! Thanks for the reviews and follows on this.**

B'elanna blinked open her eyes to near darkness. The normally brightly lit turbolift only had a few low emergency lights working, and those were starting to fail. She was propped up against the wall that she'd slammed into when the lift failed. Seven was laying across her legs groaning and bringing a hand to her head. The woman's body shifted and it sent a wave of pain through the Klingon, who hissed. "Dammit! Easy Seven!"

"I apologize Lieutenant, I was momentarily disoriented." The blonde head turned and took in their position, before slowly using her arms to lift herself up. "You are damaged?"

Looking around the turbolift, the blonde reached for a panel, finding a flashlight. B'elanna noticed the brief flash of relief that crossed the woman's face but ignored it. "Yes, I'm damaged." Moving carefully she tapped her commbadge but received no response.

Seven glanced around their surroundings, privately deciding it was her own personal hell. The darkness and confined space was quickly causing her anxiety. Something she was not used to feeling. They had no tricorder to see what the conditions were around the ship and no way to communicate. She shook her head slightly and turned back to Torres. "Is the pain severe?"

B'elanna got her breath as she tried to shift, almost glaring up at the woman. "On a scale of one to ten, I'd say 13, but it's only if I move too much."

Cautiously, Seven knelt beside her. "Where?"

"Hips and legs." A visual scan of the area proved to give her no further information.

"I see no blood or other signs of injury. The damage must be internal."

The Klingon rolled her eyes. "No kidding."

Even kneeling the blonde's posture straightened. "There is no need for sarcasm Lieutenant." Standing again, she made her way to the control panel on the wall.

Pressing at the buttons gave her no response and she sighed. She stabbed at the button that would open the doors and almost growled when nothing happened. "Seven are you ok?"

There was a pause and she watched the blonde duck her head for a moment. "I do not like the darkness Lieutnant. It is unsettling."

B'elanna was shocked that she actually admitted it. "I need you to try to stay calm. We can't wait around for someone to come to the rescue, and I'm not going to be much help."

Seven nodded turning back to her. "I understand. I will do my best."

"First thing we need to do is try to get the doors open. Can you find something to use as a lever?"

The Klingon kept up a steady string of commentary as Seven pulled a piece of busted support bar from the wall and wedged it between the doors. The blonde planted her feet and pulled against the lever, and B'elanna could hear the doors groan. The effort showed on the woman's face as finally the doors gave.

Dropping the lever Seven used her arms to push the doors further apart. Half of the doorway was blocked by the plating between decks, the bottom was only darkness, occasionallly lit by sparking panels and conduits. "What the hell happened to the ship?"

B'elanna squinted into the dark unable to make out anything. "I do not know Lieutenant, but the damage appears extensive."

"Can you see anything?" The engineer knew that Seven saw on a spectrum that was much different than anyone else on the ship, and may be able to detect more than she could with just eyesight alone.

"No, there is only enough light to give me the outline of the corridor." She swung the flashlight around seeing debris littering the floor below her, but the light could only show her so much. "I will have to go out there."

The Klingon could see the apprehension on her face before there was a deep breath. "I will see if I can find a medical kit."

"Just be careful." Seven slid her legs out of the lift before lowering herself to the deck. She could see the flashlight shine against the walls as the blonde took in her surroundings before it slowly disappeared. While darkness had never bothered the Klingon, even she could feel it creeping up on her now that Seven was gone.

"How's it going Seven?" There was a moment of silence, then a shaky voice called back.

"I am...functioning Lieutenant, but the corridor is partially blocked. Give me a moment."

"I'm just going to keep talking. You answer when you can. The med kit shouldn't be too far from where you are."

Seven's voice now farther away, "I have found it. It would appear we are on deck 5, but sickbay is on the other side of the ship."

Not wanting to panic the woman any further, she kept the idea that the Doctor may not be online to herself. "Most likely there are others on this deck, do you see anyone?"

"No one in my short travels, Lieutenant." The blonde was back, tossing the med kit back into the turbolift, she hoisted herself up. "There is an emergency stretcher just beyond the blockage, if I can stabalize you I will move you to it."

B'elanna watched as Seven set up a brighter emergency light, and that the blonde's features had calmed. Reaching out carefully, she squeezed one of her hands. "You're doing fine Seven."

Seven looked at her with wide eyes for a moment. "Thank you Lieutenant. My initial anxiety has passed."

"Just call me B'elanna please. If you're going to be carrying me around for a while I'd rather have you drop the rank for now."

Seven ran the medical tricorder over the engineer, but she didn't miss the whispered "very well."

"You have a fractured pelvis. I cannot repair it here, we have to get you to sickbay." The blonde held up a hypospray loaded with painkiller, "I'm afraid even with this B'elanna, moving will be painful."

"Let's just get this over with."

Ten grueling minutes later Seven stood in the corridor cradling a near tears B'elanna Torres. The engineer tenatively put her arms around the blonde's shoulders, and they regarded each other warily. "Just don't tell anyone about this."

"I believe my lips will be sealed on this incident." She started off slowly, stepping around fallen pieces of wall plating. When they came to blocked part of the corridor, Seven shifted B'elanna closer. "You will need to hang on tightly B'elanna. I had difficulty getting through alone."

The Klingon did as she was told, tightening her arms, and bringing her head down to Seven's shoulder. It was a tight fit. A piece of bulkhead had collapsed leaving barely enough room against one wall to squeeze by. Placing her back against the wall, Seven scooted them through, only jostling her once, but the movement caused B'elanna to groan. "I am sorry B'elanna."

"It's ok, just keep going." But her hand gripped at Seven's shoulder tighter.

They eased through the last of the wreckage, and the engineer glanced around at the damage. Conduits, panelling, and wall plating were everywhere. "Kahless, it looks like every power circuit blew at once."

"As unlikely as that sounds, it appears you are correct."

Seven made her way over to the stretcher she had laid out. She carefully laid the Engineer down and adjusted the straps. "I'm sorry, but this is the only way I can drag the stretcher."

"Seven you've gotten me this far, you're doing fine, I've already told you that." A high pitched whine began building, and Seven only took a moment to find it's source before she braced herself over the prone engineer.

Another conduit blew a few feet from them, showering them in sparks. Seven looked into the dark eyes mere inches from her own. "It appears it is an ongoing problem with the power systems."

B'elanna stared at the woman above her and swallowed. "We need to get me fixed up, and get started on the problem."

Seven seemed frozen to the spot for a few more moments before she straightened up. "We will proceed now." She shook off the tingling in her stomach, lifted one end of the stretcher and began to pull.

An hour later they'd only made it half way to Sickbay. Debris, collapses and new blowouts had slowed their progress to a crawl. B'elanna knew the strain was starting to get to Seven, and she wasn't doing much better. The painkiller was starting to wear off, and she could feel each bump. "Seven, stop for a minute. I need a break."

The ex-drone slowed and carefully set the stretcher down, and came back to kneel next to her. Even with nanoprobes controlling things, Seven's face was red, and sweat was beaded on her forehead. The environmental controls appeared to be fluctuating.

"You are in pain?" Her hands seemed to be indecisive over whether to touch the Klingon or not, finally settling on gripping the edge of the stretcher.

"And you are exhausted. We both need to rest." Nodding reluctantly, Seven lowered herself to the deck. "I can't believe we haven't seen anyone in an hour."

"They may be confined to other parts of the ship as we were. Deck 5 is usually empty except for sickbay this time of the day."

Seven ran the medical tricorder over her again and seeming satisfied that not much had changed in the interim she switched the settings to a wider band. "There are scattered lifesigns on the decks above and below us, but the range of the tricorder is limited. I can't tell beyond that. There are no other life signs on this deck however."

"Alone at last I guess." The blonde's eyebrows crawled up her forehead, and B'elanna chuckled. "It's a joke Seven, relax."

"It was a valiant attempt at least." The Klingon was surprised when a burst of laughter left her throat. Maybe Seven did have a sense of humor. "We should continue moving before there are any more blowouts."

B'elanna accepted a new dose of painkiller and tried to relax against the stretcher. "Lead on."


	3. Chapter 3

This is not an update. My home was broken into and along with several other things my laptop was stolen. I'm posting now from a friends. Since all my stories were on the computer stolen it may take me a while to get everything back in order. I'll try to keep everyone updated on my twitter account or through my profile, but I will only have access through my phone. Don't give up on this story it will be back! Peace y'all!


	4. Chapter 4

**A short update. Things are finally getting back in order.**

The doors to sickbay were cracked open when Seven and B'elanna finally made it there. Sticking her head inside, the ex-borg saw no sign of the Doctor. "It appears the Doctor is offline."

B'elanna lifted her head slightly, "How bad is it?"

"There is damage, but it does not appear to be as extensive as the rest of the deck."

Seven wedged herself into the crack and pushed forcing the doors open. "The extra shielding we installed must have protected it from whatever it was that happened. Maybe we can get the Doctor back online."

B'elanna looked up as Seven grabbed the stretcher and began to drag it through the doors. She stopped beside the main diagnostic bed and glanced at it uncertainly. "I will have to lift you again, it will cause discomfort."

The Klingon waved her hand. "I'm ready. Just do it quick."

Seven knelt beside her, sliding her arms under her shoulders and legs. The ex-drone waited until B'elanna's arms were wrapped around her neck, then lifted, grimacing at the hiss of pain she heard. She settled the Klingon as gently as she could and stepped back, activating the diagnostic arms. The black shield closed over B'elanna and she set it to scanning the woman's injuries before turning to the sickbay consoles. "There appears to be damage to the holographic emitters. The gel packs ruptured during a power surge. It will take some time to repair."

"What about the mobile emitter?"

"If I can locate it, I may be able to route the Doctor's program to it." She worked at the console for a few moments and took a deep breath. "It appears the entire ship has been affected, communications and turbolifts are down. Life support and evironmental controls are fluctuating, warp engines are offline, but appear stable, transporters are down..."

"I've heard enough."

"Very well. I will attempt to find the mobile emitter."

While sickbay's damage was not as extensive, it was still heavily damaged. There were pieces of bulkhead and conduit laying everywhere, but she found what she was looking for under the Doctor's desk. Holding the emitter in her palm she made her way back out into sickbay. "I have found it."

"I was starting to worry. This thing started beeping while you were gone." B'elanna was watching her from the bed. Seven looked at the readout, nodding slightly.

"There are several fractures. It must has happened when we were slammed into the turbolift wall."

"I'm more interested in how long it's going to take to heal."

A look that could only be described as uncertainty crossed her face, and it was one the Klingon had never seen there before. "I have no experience healing this type of injury."

B'elanna pulled her arm from underneath the diagnostic shield and reached out to squeeze Seven's hand briefly. "You got me here. Now see if you can get the Doctor back online. We've got a ship to repair."

She saw a ghost of a smile pass her lips before she disappeared back to the console. B'elanna relaxed back against the bed, staring at the flickering lights above her. She couldn't understand her lack of hostility toward the former borg drone, but after the vinculum her feelings had started to change. Seeing Seven lose control over her identity, through no fault of her own had made her realize that maybe things weren't as black and white as she'd thought. Then she'd started to look at the woman herself.

What she'd found was surprising, and she wasn't going to close her eyes to that fact. "Please state the nature of the medical emergency."

The EMH materialized, the mobile emitter now firmly attached to his arm. He looked around at the destruction and raised his eyebrows. "I see Chakotay has been driving again."

"Lieutenant Torres is injured. The ship is severely damaged though we are unsure as to why. Communications are down. I am also unsure as to who was piloting the ship when this incident occured."

He sighed, grabbing a tricorder and walked to the biobed. "Perhaps we should review your lessons on humor."

She had gotten the joke, and B'elanna knew it, but neither said anything as the Doctor scanned her again. "Fractures to the pelvis and several vertebrae. Relax Lieutenant, I can heal the damage, there shouldn't be a reason to amputate."

Seven raised her eyebrows and B'elanna stared at the man. He cleared his throat looking uncomfortable. "Just a little humor to diffuse a tense situation."

"It needs work. Just fix me so we can find out what happened."

Seven watched ran several instruments over the prone woman, then returned to the only console that seemed to be working. Sickbay had it's own sensor grid, primarily used to scan for life signs or biological agents which might be harmful to the crew. The ex-drone scanned every deck now able to pick up life signs from all over the ship. "The crew appears mostly intact, though scattered.

"First things first Seven. We need communications. We have to contact the bridge." She looked up to see B'elanna now sitting on the edge of the biobed.

"Lieutenant you aren't ready to move yet. Lay back down."

"Are the fractures healed?"

"Yes, but you will still experience some pain and stiffness, you need to rest and recover." He seemed at a loss for anything else to say, and looked annoyed as Seven came over and helped her down.

He watched the Klingon readily accept the help and raised a brow. Gripping Seven's arm, he watched them both move to the console, and followed. "I don't see anyone getting any rest in the near future. We don't know if we were attacked, ran into a quantum filament, a subspace rupture, or any number of things that could cause us even more damage if we aren't ready. Resting can happen later."

She turned her attention to Seven. "Can you scan the bridge."

"Life signs are erratic, but it is also heavily shielded. They may have escaped the most extensive power surges, as did sickbay."

VOY

Janeway pushed herself up off the deck. "Report!"

Harry was stabbing at his flickering console, trying to find her answers. The rest of the bridge crew was shaken, and she could see injuries though nothing looked life threatening. Several conduits had blown with no warning, components now scattered along the bridge, along with some of the bulkheads. Her bridge was a mess.

"External sensors are offline! We're in the dark Captain."

Chakotay was climbing back into his chair, "Communications is down as well. I can't raise anyone."

Ensign Baytart limped toward the turbolift, but the doors wouldn't open. "Turbolifts are down as well Captain."

Making her way to Ops she groaned. "Sensors first. We need to know what's happening on the ship."

VOY

"It appears as if there was a surge in the power couplings on Deck 15 that caused a cascade." Seven tapped at the console, bringing schematics from the point of the surge. "I can not tell more than that however."

"It's a start." B'elanna had mangaed to get access to the sensor grid, but could not find a way to reroute. Relays were blown all over the ship, and when it looked like she found a clear path, she'd be blocked.

To say frustration was starting to set in was an understatement. The Doctor, after complaining that she was going to aggravate injuries he had only just healed, had been banished to gather his equipment. Injuries were sure to start showing up, and it gave her some breathing room. Her prediction came true as one of access panels to the jefferies tubes started to open, becoming jammed against a piece of bulkhead.

The EMH hurried over removing the obstruction and yanked the panel open. Mulcahey nearly fell out of the tube, barely catching himself. "A little warning next time Doctor."

The Doctor helped him up. "Are you alone?"

The man shook his head and reached back into the tube, helping a nearly unconscious Celes into sickbay. "What happened?"

The two of them helped the Bajoran to a biobed and the Doctor started his scans. "We were working on the Astrometrics sensors on deck 6. We got a report from Celes that there was a power drain and that a gel pack might be malfunctioning. I went to check it out, and the whole thing blew. I hadn't even started scans yet. Celes took the worst hit. It took an hour crawling through jeffries tube's just to get here."

"You said there was power drain?" B'elanna looked up from the console. "That doesn't make sense. Not with power surges blowing relay's everywhere."

"We were getting reports from several decks Chief. It wasn't total though. Most systems were running at top effieciency."

"So what happened on Deck 15 that would cause all this?"


End file.
